All answers on this page include the question number, correct answer and a brief explanation of where to find it in the passage or audio. Use these alongside the original Cambridge IELTS books for the best practice experience.
The Megafires of California is the opening passage of Cambridge IELTS 10, Test 4, Academic Reading. The passage explains why wildfires in California have grown larger, hotter, and more destructive, drawing on climate change, decades of fire suppression policy, increased construction in fire-prone areas, and the steady increase in firefighting capability that has reduced loss of life. The 13 questions test note completion using one word or a number (Q1-6) and True/False/Not Given (Q7-13).
Passage overview at a glance
The passage has two halves. Paragraphs 1-4 cover the causes of megafires - climate, suppression policy, longer fire seasons, more building in fire-prone areas. Paragraphs 5-9 cover California's response - more equipment, better coordination, improved building codes, and Randy Jacobs' point at the end that loss of life will drop despite continued fires. Q1-6 sit in the first half, Q7-13 in the second.
What the passage is about
The Megafires of California passage explains why wildfires in the western United States, especially Southern California, have become hotter, faster, more unpredictable, and ten times larger than the average fire of twenty years ago. The drivers are below-average precipitation, a century of US Forest Service suppression policy that has left more underbrush as fuel, climate change adding about one degree Fahrenheit to average temperatures, fire seasons that are now 78 days longer than two decades ago, and increased construction of homes in wooded areas. The passage then turns to California's response - significant population growth (over 600,000 a year), upgraded fire engines, better command-and-control facilities, improved building codes in Southern California, and effective coordination between state and federal agencies. It closes with Randy Jacobs noting that loss of life will fall thanks to prevention and firefighting improvements, even as fires themselves continue.
Complete answer key with explanations
Questions 1-6: Note completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
Complete the notes using ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. The notes follow the structure of paragraphs 1-4.
| Q# | Note context | Answer | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Movement: __________ more unpredictably. | spread | Paragraph 1 ends with "the wildfires themselves, experts say, are generally hotter, faster, and spread more erratically than in the past". Erratically = unpredictably; the missing verb is spread. |
| 2 | Size of fires: __________ greater on average than two decades ago. | 10/ten times | Paragraph 2 opens by defining megafires as blazes that burn 500,000 acres or more, "10 times the size of the average forest fire of 20 years ago". 20 years ago = two decades ago. |
| 3 | Rainfall: __________ average. | below | Paragraph 3 states the region "has had significantly below normal precipitation in many recent years". Below normal precipitation = below average rainfall. |
| 4 | More brush to act as __________. | fuel | Paragraph 3 explains that decades of fire suppression "halt the natural eradication of underbrush, now the primary fuel for megafires". Underbrush has accumulated and now feeds the fires. |
| 5 | Extended fire __________. | seasons | Paragraph 4 lists factors including "fire seasons that on average are 78 days longer than they were 20 years ago". Longer = extended. |
| 6 | More building of __________ in vulnerable places. | homes | Paragraph 4 cites "increased construction of homes in wooded areas" as one of three factors. Wooded areas = vulnerable places; increased construction = more building. Both homes and housing are accepted. |
Questions 7-13: True / False / Not Given
Mark TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN against the information in the passage. These questions are in the second half of the passage (paragraphs 5-9), covering California's response to megafires.
| Q# | Statement | Answer | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | The amount of open space in California has diminished over the last ten years. | TRUE | Paragraph 6 notes population growth has averaged more than 600,000 a year for at least a decade, and "what once was open space is now residential homes providing fuels to make fires". Open space converted to residential = diminished. |
| 8 | Many experts believe California has made little progress in readying itself to fight fires. | FALSE | Paragraph 7 opens with "many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness in recent years". High marks for progress directly contradicts little progress. |
| 9 | Personnel in the past have been criticised for mishandling fire containment. | TRUE | Paragraph 7 says personnel were "stung in the past by criticism of bungling that allowed fires to spread when they might have been contained". Bungling = mishandling; criticism = criticised. |
| 10 | California has replaced a range of firefighting tools. | TRUE | Paragraph 9 explains the state has invested in upgrading fire engines and better command-and-control facilities. Upgrade = replacement with newer tools. |
| 11 | More firefighters have been hired to improve fire-fighting capacity. | NOT GIVEN | The passage discusses upgraded equipment and better command-and-control but says nothing about increasing the number of firefighters. Hiring numbers not addressed. |
| 12 | Citizens and government groups disapprove of the efforts of different states and agencies working together. | FALSE | Paragraph 9 ends with "there is a sense among both government and residents that the speed, dedication, and coordination of firefighters from several states and jurisdictions are resulting in greater efficiency". Approval contradicts disapprove. |
| 13 | Randy Jacobs believes that loss of life from fires will continue at the same levels, despite changes made. | FALSE | The closing line quotes Jacobs: "we will no longer suffer the loss of life endured in the past because of the fire prevention and firefighting measures that have been put in place". Will no longer suffer = loss of life will fall, contradicting same levels. |
Question type strategy for this passage
Note completion
Q1-6 are concentrated in paragraphs 1-4 and follow the passage's bullet-by-bullet structure. The note headings (Movement, Size, Rainfall, More brush, Extended fire, More building) telegraph the exact paragraph location. Q2 has two valid forms: 10 or ten times.
True / False / Not Given
Q7-13 cover paragraphs 5-9. Q11 is the NOT GIVEN trap - the passage talks extensively about firefighting improvement but never says more firefighters were hired. Equipment upgrades and personnel numbers are different claims.
Watch question order
Both question sets follow passage order within their range. Once you find the answer to Q7, Q8 will be later in the passage, never earlier. This applies to T/F/NG more reliably than to matching questions.
Time management
About 18 minutes for this Passage 1 of 3, including answer transfer. The straightforward note-completion structure means you can finish Q1-6 in roughly 6-7 minutes and have 10-11 minutes for the T/F/NG questions.
Vocabulary worth learning from this passage
- Megafire / siege fire, a wildfire of 500,000 acres or more
- Underbrush, low-growing vegetation under taller trees, used here as fuel
- Erratic, unpredictable, irregular
- Eradication, complete removal or elimination
- Precipitation, rain, snow, or other water falling from the sky
- Preparedness, the state of being ready for something
- Containment, in fire context, preventing a fire from spreading
- Bungling, mishandling something through clumsiness or incompetence
Related Cambridge Reading practice
Cambridge 10, Test 4 also includes Second Nature (Passage 2) and When Evolution Runs Backwards (Passage 3). Browse our Reading answers hub for more Cambridge passage answer keys including The Thylacine from Cambridge IELTS 17 and The Falkirk Wheel from Cambridge IELTS 11.
Frequently asked questions
Which Cambridge IELTS book contains The Megafires of California?
The Megafires of California is Reading Passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS 10, Test 4, Academic Reading. The other two passages in this test are Second Nature (about personality change) and When Evolution Runs Backwards (about atavisms).
How difficult is the Megafires passage?
Medium difficulty. The vocabulary is accessible (megafires, drought, suppression) and the cause-and-effect structure makes information easy to locate. The challenge is in distinguishing what the passage explicitly claims about California's response from what it merely implies - particularly Q11 on whether more firefighters have been hired.
Why is Q11 NOT GIVEN and not TRUE?
Q11 says more firefighters have been hired. The passage describes equipment upgrades and better command-and-control facilities, but never mentions hiring more firefighters. Better tools and procedures are not the same as more personnel, so the claim is unsupported and NOT GIVEN is correct.
Why is Q13 FALSE and not TRUE?
Q13 says Randy Jacobs believes loss of life will continue at the same levels. The passage quotes Jacobs saying "we will no longer suffer the loss of life endured in the past". "No longer suffer" the previous level of deaths means loss of life will fall, which contradicts continuing at the same levels. FALSE is correct.
Where can I find the original passage?
The full passage and official answer key are in Cambridge IELTS 10 (Cambridge University Press), available from major bookstores and online retailers.